Category Archives: Books and Literature

Every time we’ve driven across Kansas, we’ve seen billboards advertising this museum. We felt compelled to stop and see it. There wasn’t much else of interest in the little town of Wamego, and the museum stood out on the main … Continue reading →

Writers come in two principle categories—those who are overtly insecure and those who are covertly insecure … — from Draft Number 4, by John McPhee We also saw the Golden-fronted Leafbird, a bright green bird with an orange forehead about … Continue reading →

Things I Saw and Did in January Books Read in December and January Things I Learned in January To prevent fires back in the days when houses were warmed and lit by fire, people covered flames at night with a … Continue reading →

The British had always loved sugar, so much so that when they first got access to it, about the time of Henry VIII, they put it on or in almost everything from eggs to meat to wine. They scooped it … Continue reading →

The cubicle did not get its name from its shape, but from the Latin “cubiculum” meaning bed chamber. A male Brown Thrasher can have more than 2,500 separate songs in his repertoire. Creede, Colorado, was named for prospector Nicholas C. … Continue reading →

from Confessions of an Un-Common Attorney, by Reginal L. Hine (1947) There is another advantage enjoyed by the private citizen. He belongs to himself. When the little man in the little city looks out upon the huge and thoughtful night, … Continue reading →

Even when the wind rose—and there is almost always a wind in the valley in the afternoon—all this sea of rolling dunes remained hushed. I strained to catch the slightest sound. I strained in vain. As I stood there, my … Continue reading →

from Wilderness Empire, by Allan W. Eckert This morning there had been a brief shower but then it had turned into a beautiful sunny day. The venerable chaplain, Colonel Stephen Williams, held Sunday services outside, attended by almost all of … Continue reading →